According to recent reports, there is at least one gay male footballer in the English Premier League. However, despite the player considering ‘coming out’, he has been forced to take up emotional therapy sessions over fears of the backlash he would receive if he were to be open about his sexuality.
That’s according to a recent report from The Sun, who claims the unnamed pro has had to sound out a form of counselling to help him overcome fears he would be abused if he were to follow in the footsteps of the late Justin Fashanu.
Fashanu was the first professional footballer to reveal he was gay all the way back in 1990.
Unable to cope with the media’s spotlight that followed his decision to come out publicly, as well as being accused of sexual abuse, Fashanu tragically made the decision to take his own life and was found dead by suicide during the summer of 1998.
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However, while society has progressed and become a more accepting place, although today’s unnamed player is unlikely to face the same level of abuse others before him may have done – the prospect of being the first openly gay top-flight male player this century must still be as equally as terrifying.
Wonder who it is
Lol, “who it is” not “who he is”. 😆